Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has confirmed it has conducted missile strikes against terrorist groups in the Iraqi Kurdistan, saying it meant to punish the groups that in recent years have intensified their anti-Iran operations.

In a statement on Sunday, the IRGC said its forces fired seven short-range ground-to-ground missiles on a meeting of leaders of the Kurdish terrorist group and their training compound.

The missiles hit the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDP-I) and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) on Saturday.

The statement said credible reports show dozens of leaders and top members of the terrorist groups have been eliminated in the attacks.

The attack was meant to be a punishment for “terrorist groups affiliated with the world arrogance” who in recent months have sent various terrorist teams to disrupt security in Iranian provinces neighbouring Iraq, the statement said.

The statement said the IRGC is determined to protect Iran’s exemplar security and warned “terrorist and anti-revolution groups” that they will receive a “stronger response” in case they keep up making mischief.

It also noted that the terrorist group had ignored warnings by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that Iran would give them a crushing response in case they refuse to stop their criminal activities.

The attack happened in Koysinjaq, a city about 65 kilometres east of Erbil in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq and some 300 kilometres north of the capital, Baghdad.

Secretary of KDP-I Mustafa Mawludi and his predecessor Khalid Azizi are among those injured during the attack, sources from the party told Kurdistan 24.